


Home

by SamJoinedtheReconCorps



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Afterlife, Angst, Canon Compliant, Feels, Flashbacks, Happy ending though, I'm Sorry, M/M, Profanity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-10
Updated: 2015-10-10
Packaged: 2018-04-25 16:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4968226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamJoinedtheReconCorps/pseuds/SamJoinedtheReconCorps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt copes with the suddenness of Alby's death.</p><p>Then they meet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Let's Go

**Author's Note:**

> Well holy shuck-balls on a stick, wasn't the Maze Runner just friggin' dandy?
> 
> No but seriously though Alby and Newt were gay as fuck and no one will be able to tell me otherwise.
> 
> This is just a little thing to help me cope with my ship because haHA why is it that I always have painful ships?

             “Alby?”

              He should have seen it coming. He shouldn’t have taken his eyes off him.

              He should have stuck close to Alby.

              The whirlwind of the plan to get into the Griever Hole had occupied his thoughts though, and now he was paying the ultimate price.

* * *

 

              Comprehension flickered within Newt only a second too late about what Alby was about to do. About the choice he’d taken for the group.

              “Get back here!” Newt screamed, barely managing to take a step forward before Alby reached the Grievers.

               Before they began tearing him apart.

               Alby jumped on one, seemingly trying to fight, but there were too many; they swarmed him, tearing and clawing and slicing through Alby, through the leader of the Gladers, through the boy he’d follow to the ends of the earth. They tore through him the way a violent gale tears through a flickering candle – snuffing out the light and leaving only the wail of the wind and nothing but darkness.

               “ _Alby!_ ” the desperation in Newt’s voice tore his throat apart as he made to run forward, to run to Alby because _he needed help, why wasn’t anyone helping , OH MY GOD I CAN’T SEE HIM ANYMORE –_ when suddenly strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him back, away from what would have been immediate suicide.

               “Let go!” He struggled violently, shoving the person away with all his force, realizing it was Thomas who was holding him back. All he wanted to do was get Alby, to fight those wretched things if he had to and pull Alby away safe and sound – to stop the awful noises and the terrible scarlet from staining the floor of the Maze.

               Thomas said something Newt didn’t quite catch, something Newt didn’t care to hear. The only thing Newt cared about in the God-forsaken Maze was beneath the pulsating bodies of a dozen bloody Grievers, and no one was doing a fucking thing – _why why why why why couldn’t Thomas just LET GO!_

               Suddenly, a flash of dark skin – the smallest of sights, but Newt had seen it. He’d seen Alby’s face and, for just the briefest of seconds, held his gaze.

               The look in his eyes was one that Newt would never forget.

                He seemed at peace, no real fear or anguish in his eyes, but they did betray something. They betrayed Alby’s sadness.

_I’m sorry_ , they seemed to whisper – words Alby had said against his skin not too long ago. _I’m sorry it had to end like this,_ they said.

_I’m sorry I’m leaving you._

                Then, Alby was gone.

                Newt’s knees buckled, almost sending him to the ground, as the fight completely left him. Thomas steadied him, keeping him upright.

                Tears stung his eyes, the sudden realization hitting him in a giant tidal wave.

                “I can’t believe it,” Newt whispered.

                Alby was gone.

                “I can’t believe he just did that,” he repeated, voice cracking, his entire spirit almost shattering. He wished the Maze would just swallow him up, that time stopped, that he would get time to _mourn –_

                Then Minho arrived, spurring the plan forward, voicing what they’d all seen – “He freaking _sacrificed_ himself for us” – all but pushing Newt aside as he felt like his insides crumpled to dust and his will to live drained out of him.

                The worst of it hadn’t even happened then. It was then that they saw that Alby’s sacrifice was still in vain.

                The Grievers were back.

                And Alby had given his life for no reason at all.

* * *

 

                The next minutes were spent hacking and screaming, tearing and roaring, slicing and sobbing.

                Newt could barely see through the tears in this eyes – he could barely make out the figures of the Grievers that were charging around them. All he could think about was Alby.

                _“Hey, kid – you new around here?”_

_Newt glanced up from where he sat on the ground, shielding his eyes from the Sun to get a better look at the boy who was talking to him._

A Griever raised a menacing syringe, ready to stab Newt. He swung with his makeshift spear blindly, knowing he’d connected when he heard the snap of the syringe breaking off and the loud wail of the Griever that followed.

_“Who’re you?” Newt asked, although he knew who he was talking to; a face like his was hard to forget._

_The boy scowled momentarily, obviously finding Newt’s question pesky since Newt hadn’t really answered the question the boy had originally posed. He still replied though._

_“I’m Alby.”_

The tears came harder now, along with the choking sobs that made him want to double over in pain. He didn’t even realize when he’d managed to bat the Grievers away from Alby’s body – he hadn’t even realized that that had been his intent through the battle. Forget the code and getting out of the Maze. He could at least give Alby this. He could at least keep them away from him.

                _Newt nodded, taking note of the boy – Alby – as he stood beside him. He had a leader’s build, strong and steady, despite his young age – what was he, like 15? And besides that, he just had an aura to him that commanded attention and that seemed one bloody force to be reckoned with._

_“Now it’s your turn, kid,” Alby pressed, “You new around here?”_

_“Don’t call me a kid,” Newt glared, annoyed that Alby had taken that tone with him, “I was with the first group that came around here about a month ago.”_

_The smallest inkling of a smile cracked through Alby’s façade. “Alright then…_ shank _,” Alby continued, trying out their new home slang. “What’s your name then?”_

_“The name’s Newt.”_

He shoved off another Griever, taking his spear and driving it deep within the thing’s pulsating body, driving it with all his might, before he pulled it out with a sickening _pop_. The thing whirred – whether in pain or anger Newt didn’t know – and briefly pulled back, only to be replaced by two more. Newt kept on fighting, standing over Alby, tears falling from his face with every sharp turn and movement he made, adding to the splashes of red on the ground.

                _“Newt,” Alby repeated, testing the name on his tongue. Then he smiled. An actual, genuine, full-blown smile. “I like it. It suits you.”_

_Slightly suspicious, Newt only answered with a raised eyebrow._

_Alby continued, his smile never wavering on his face. “It’s unique – and I know you are, too.”_

“Bloody- _fucking_ -hell!” Newt panted, snapping a clamp off a Griever’s arm with a swing from his spear. He stabbed another one in an opening he found, hoping to drive it away the way he’d done with the previous one by stabbing it through as hard as he possibly could.

                His heart stuttered in his chest when he felt the sickening suction of the Griever as it pulled the spear out of his hands.

                _They’d been at it for months now – dealing with the daily life of the Glade. Making sure jobs were getting assigned and things were running smoothly. The Gladers had even taken to calling them Mama Newt and Papa Alby behind their backs, due to the way they lead everything in unison. Life was good – or as good as it could get in the Maze._

_“I bloody hate it here,” Newt grumbled through a yawn, tired from a long day’s worth of running._

_Alby turned to the side in his sleeping bag, enough to look at Newt’s face. “Aw, c’mon – it isn’t_ that _bad,” Alby teased, a small smile replacing his almost constant scowl, “at least you’ve got me.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but seemed to think better of it as he shut it with an audible click._

_Newt rolled his eyes. “And an awful lot of good you’ve been to me, shank.” He lay on his back, looking up at the moon – it still felt eerie that there were no stars in their night sky. “I just want to get out – I don’t care if it has to be in a bloody body bag at this point.”_

_Alby snorted, slightly annoyed with Newt’s uncharacteristic whining and negativity. “What are you gonna do, shuck-face? Jump off a maze wall?”_

He backed away from the Grievers, scrambling backwards and tripping over Alby. Their clamps clicked in apparent triumph and their spinning blades whirred even faster with their enthusiasm to spill more blood.

                Newt fell, hoisting himself up halfway, and lifted a hand in front of him in a feeble attempt to fend them off.

                _“You idiot, you utter moron, what on earth were you thinking?” Alby all but shouted at Newt. It’d been a week since Newt had taken his plunge off the Maze wall – a week since Alby had found his crumpled and broken body, almost dead in the middle of the Maze._

_“I can’t handle it here anymore,” Newt croaked from his place on the bed. “I just want to go home –“_

_“And so you tried to_ kill _yourself?” Alby finished, exasperated._

_Newt felt tears prick his eyes. “No one would have even cared – they wouldn’t have even known. They’d’ve thought I’d been taken by a bloody Griever for all they knew –“_

_“I would have cared!” Alby shouted, stunning Newt into silence. A lone tear slipped down Newt’s cheek, obviously having been startled into falling by Alby’s admission. Alby took a seat beside Newt on the bed. “I care,” he whispered, gently wiping the tears from Newt’s face. “Just seeing you there –“ He leaned his forehead against Newt’s closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Dammit, I-I thought I’d been too late, and all I wanted was to jump right off the Cliff –“_

_“Don’t say that!” Newt scolded, face heating up as he realized how much his attempt had affected Alby, and slightly upset that Alby didn’t value his life as much as he should._

_The hand Alby had resting on Newt’s face tightened slightly. “You can’t say that to me – not after what you did.” He breathed out a shaky breath and opened his eyes, and the vulnerable look in them almost broke Newt’s heart. “Just never scare me like that again,” he whispered._

_Newt nodded, then cautiously brought his arms around Alby’s neck, slowly, so as to give Alby plenty of time to object if he wanted to. Instead Alby quickly wrapped his own arms around Newt’s waist and lifted him up slightly until he had repositioned him in his lap, pulling him into a tight hug. “At least I’ve got you,” Newt whispered, an echo of what Alby had said to him some time ago._

_“And I’ve got you,” Alby breathed, his chest rising and falling with the sentence. “And don’t you worry – we’ll get out of this maze. See the stars and feel rain again – don’t worry Newt, I promise you’ll get out of here. I promise you we’ll get home.”_

* * *

 

_But now you aren’t here with me_ , Newt thought, pressing himself flush against the wall, trying with all his might to keep away from the oncoming death blades that the Grievers were pushing closer to him. Hoping that the Grievers would leave Alby’s body alone and favor just killing him instead.

                _Hey,_ Newt smiled softly, _at least I’ll be with you._

Then the Grievers shuddered to a stop.

* * *

 

                It wouldn’t be for a while before Newt began to smile again. Before he began to feel anything other than numbness.

                It took a while before he swore to himself that he would memorize every single constellation in the sky and sit in the rain every single time it came around. He felt closer to Alby every time he did it.

                Then the day came when he was to be with Alby again.

* * *

 

                The bullet was cold. But the relief was warm. And the brilliant smile that followed was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

                “Hey Newt,” Alby grinned, a sight that was rare and breathtaking all at the same time. He outstretched his arms, “took you long enough.”

                Newt flung himself into Alby’s arms, finally feeling at home again.

                Finally _at_ home.


	2. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then they meet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's try something nice after that angst.
> 
> I could not leave it like that my babies deserve happiness.

                Newt blew a stray strand of blonde hair from his face as he read, slightly annoyed with how it sometimes got in the way. _Maybe I should cut it,_ he mused.

                “Hey, kid – you new around here?” a voice called out, interrupting his train of thought.

                Newt glanced up from his book and from where he sat on the ground, running a hand through his hair to get it out of his eyes to get a better look at the boy who was talking to him.

                “Who’re you?” Newt asked, although he had a feeling he knew who he was talking to; a face like his was hard to forget – although Newt couldn’t quite place him for some odd reason.

                The boy scowled momentarily, obviously finding Newt’s question pesky since Newt hadn’t really answered the question the boy had originally posed. His scowl gave Newt a sudden rushing feeling of deja-vu, however his reply kept him from exploring the feeling too much.

                “I’m Alby.”

                Newt nodded, taking note of the boy – Alby – as he stood beside him. He had an impressive build, strong and steady – what was he, a senior? And besides that, he just had an aura to him that commanded attention and that seemed one bloody force to be reckoned with.

                “Now it’s your turn, kid,” Alby pressed, “You new around here?”

                “Don’t call me a kid,” Newt glared, annoyed that Alby had taken that upperclassmen tone with him considering he was an upperclassmen himself, “I’ve been here since I was a freshmen.”

                The smallest inkling of a smile cracked through Alby’s façade. “Alright then…shank,” Alby continued, using slang that Newt had never heard before but that for some reason seemed familiar. The remnants of a memory strained to break to the surface, but he couldn’t seem to recall where he’d heard the word before. “What’s your name then?”

                “The name’s Newt,” he answered, shutting his book since he felt that this little introduction with Alby might drag on to something more. He felt that it was a little weird that he _hoped_ it would drag on to more.

                “Newt,” Alby repeated, testing the name on his tongue. Then he smiled. An actual, genuine, full-blown smile. “I like it. It suits you.”

                Slightly suspicious, Newt only answered with a raised eyebrow.

                Alby continued, his smile never wavering on his face. “It’s unique – and I know you are, too.”

                “Really now?” Newt grinned back, warming up to the dark skinned boy. Alby took a seat beside him, mirroring Newt’s sentiments.

               “What’re you reading?” he asked, catching a sight of grey block letters on a green cover. Something _Runner._ All he really wanted was something to talk about so that he could start a conversation with Newt.

               “Oh this?” Newt asked, glancing down at his book as if just remembering it were there. “It’s just a book about a bunch of kids that get experimented on. It’s really good, but dammit is this bloody book fucking heartbreaking.” He ran his finger down its worn spine, Alby keeping track of his movements as if in a trance, obviously mesmerized by this boy he’d just met. It was weird that he’d felt such a strong connection to him. Newt looked back up at Alby, “I’m actually rereading it since the film’s coming out next week.”

               Alby nodded, remembering how he’d reread the _Harry Potter_ ’s as each book’s respective movie came out. Suddenly a thought occurred to Alby. “We should go – watch the movie, y’know, if you want?” The question was out before he’d even really processed what he was asking. _Good going, Alby,_ he inwardly groaned at himself, _odd familiarity aside, you don’t actually_ know _the dude – he’s just going to think you’re weird for asking him to the movies as soon as you met him –_

              “Sure.”

             “What?” Alby asked, not sure he’d heard correctly as all coherent thought of his came screeching to a halt.

            “I’d lov- It’d be fun to go,” Newt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to hide the tinge of red that had begun to creep onto his face when he’d agreed to Alby’s proposal so quickly.

            “Well then,” Alby grinned, bumping his shoulder to Newt’s slightly, the motion seeming so familiar, as if Alby’d done it to Newt hundreds of times before. “I guess you’ve got a week to either get me up to date on all the important details of the book or you can convince me to read them.”

             Newt chewed his bottom lip as he considered the options for a moment. “Reading the book would probably be the best…” he mused.

            “Then you’ve still gotta convince me to read them,” Alby continued, leaning back until he was against the base of the tree they were sitting under. “I’m not too hard to convince, I promise.” He smiled, “I just want to get excited before I start reading.”

            “Well, it’s a bloody book series, for starters, so the pain doesn’t end there…” Newt began. They talked for hours, Newt explaining with animated hand motions and Alby wheedling little details out of Newt that he begrudgingly gave. They didn’t even notice that the bell to get back to class had rung, and they didn’t notice that they’d missed the last two periods of school until they saw people trekking across campus to leave home.

            “Looks like we lost track of time,” Newt realized, surprised.

            “Yeah, seems like it," Alby agreed, glancing at his cell phone to see that time really had gone by in a flash. Newt just made everything more interesting – more fun. He felt more at _home._

           The thought startled Alby due to how true it felt as he glanced over at Newt who was too preoccupied putting his book in his backpack to notice the stunned realization betrayed by Alby’s facial expression.

           “Do you want to do this again tomorrow?” Newt asked, pulling Alby back from his thoughts. He’d asked it nervously, Alby noticed, as if expecting Alby to shoot him down.

           “I was just about to ask you the same thing,” Alby answered, a small smile playing on his lips as he noticed Newt grin with his answer.

           “Sounds like a plan,” Newt said, feeling as if he’d just gained a part of himself he didn’t know he’d been missing.

* * *

 

          Alby did read the book, promising to finish the series by the end of the month, before they went to the movie that next weekend. Newt cried during the character deaths, holding tightly onto Alby’s hand after Alby had held his in a feeble attempt to comfort him.

          Newt held onto him as if he’d been doing it for years – it came as second nature. And Alby did the same.

          They didn’t stop holding onto each other for a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cheesy as fuck ending, I know, but hey, I need cheesy for this ship dammit they deserve it.
> 
> Thanks for reading, guys! I hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the initial angst - hopefully the end made up for it!
> 
> I really hope you guys liked it!


End file.
